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I am the second owner of my car and received everything that been identified in various post on the site, except this cover. As an Alpina owner I even received two covers for the hard top, one that was in Alpina blue and the other was the standard one.

One of the reasons I'm tracking this is because as the Z8Club moves into producing special order parts for our cars I think this could be a great part to make available for members. If anyone has a part number for it I'd be interested to see if they are still available, but I somehow doubt that they are this far after the end of production. It seems like some cars had them, some didn't, but I really wasn't aware that some of the cars came with a full cover until now!
I like the Chinese Govt idea too, I'll be calling them Monday first thing! ;-)

Andrew Macpherson

Expert Z8 Inspections, with full support for both Z8 sale and purchases.

My point was merely to make sure that everyone realized that there's a poll setup by Andrew to mathematically assess the issuance of the cover. It's much easier to analyze the poll results than count individual posts. It's not so much about "tracking" as it is ease of assessment.

I am assuming that this pole is for first owners. I do suspect that my car may have come with the cover. The owner seemed to have so many cars and had so little involvement into any of them.
Wouldn't someone like Bill Stewart have some thoughts?

Bill Stuart is away on his yearly break till mid-April, but honestly I don't expect that these covers are suddenly going to materialize in a big box somewhere. It seems so random that some cars did get them and some didn't, that I suspect that they were included, or left out, as the cars left the factory, especially as they seem to be exactly the same in the EU as here. My guess is that the cover manufacturers didn't get them to BMW in regular good time, so some cars went out with, and some without?

If there is enough demand for a run of covers maybe we could try to find out who was the manufacturer, and order another batch.

Andrew Macpherson

Expert Z8 Inspections, with full support for both Z8 sale and purchases.

It is still available...

The "indoor car cover" for the Z8 (E52), that is the official BMW name for the part, was never a part of the standard equipment. It is still available at BMW dealerships and the BMW part-number is 82 150 018 224. I know for sure that some dealerships gave the car cover to the first owners as a special gift because it matches the cover for the hardtop perfectly, which was standard equipment and came with the car. It is made of the same material and has the same printed Z8 logo. The price in Germany at the moment (Jan 2010) is about EUR 240,- (US $336).

Then you bought a true car cover, designed for indoor / outdoor use. BMW should rename their covers to "Dust Cover" as they are intended for indoor use only where there is no breeze to cause the cover to move and scratch the paint.

cover

the one I bought is for inside use only and is very soft..... I''ll post a pic later .
The BMW one gave me the impression of making tiny scratches
probably it is not, but with a black car you always notice something
now I am charging the battery and then I' take the pic.

I don't think it was the cover that made the scratches. BMW used a special soft black paint that can trace the lines your eyes make in the car as you look at it. It was a secret beta test of the new Efficient Dynamics program, and was designed to allow them to see how often your eyes lovingly caress the car. The only problem is they made it too sensitive, so every person, animal and insect whose eyes gaze upon the Z8's black beauty leaves a scratch. I understand after the trails on the Z8 they decided that the paint was a mixed blessing, and would only be used in very specific applications. Of course they decided it would perfect for the new Rolls Royce, a car so hideous that no one would ever look at it, ensuring its black paint would remain perfect for all time.

Andrew Macpherson

Expert Z8 Inspections, with full support for both Z8 sale and purchases.

In general, modern cars are painted with a water-based paint. I believe that most repairs are done with a more traditional paint system. Water-based paints are clearly more vulnerable to chips and scratches.

I use the "Dustop" from Cal Car Cover. It works great - there is no dust on the shelf where it sits.

Mine too! With a black car you can't win. If you put it on when the car is clean, it still needs some work when it comes off. If you drive the car once, it's too dirty to put the cover on it and risk scratching. Besides, I like to look at her naked in the garage every day...the car naked, that is.

"The "indoor car cover" for the Z8 (E52), that is the official BMW name for the part, was never a part of the standard equipment. It is still available at BMW dealerships and the BMW part-number is 82 150 018 224"

I called Advantage BMW here in Houston and was told that it is out of production and could NOT be ordered. Very irritating.

I am the only owner and was not offered the cover when I purchased my car in Dec. 2002. Now I want one.

I am an Original 2003 owner, mine did NOT include the car cover as 'included equipment". Bought mine separately and is an indoor cover as mentioned above. However, at the time i ordered, I do not recall having an option of an outdoor cover so I think BMW only made an indoor cover.

I'm the 3rd owner of my car and it came with the original nylon cover with the bag sewn in (as documented by the prior 2 owners). This cover is OK but I prefer not to put it on the car as the material is not very soft. After I purchased my car I picked up an eBay ad for an NOS Z8 car cover in Germany. The seller claimed it was made out of the same material as the HT cover (which is very soft on the inside). I gave it a shot (I think i paid $450) and received the same cover that Mac shows in the first post. It is a far superior cover and I'm OK with putting it on the car (much softer material). Both the cover and bag have the Z8 logo. If you're interested, I know that the seller has more available. His name is Karl and he'll be glad to hear from you ([email protected]). Happy Shopping! Cheers...

No car cover and no hardtop...

The OEM soft cover is still available from BMW and it's $370 list. With your BMW CCA membership card you can get up to a 25% discount. I bought a second one about eight months ago for $295.96 plus tax. Just go to your local BMW dealership -- P/N 82-15-0-018-224.

I too didn't have one from new but bought one from California Car Covers. I purchased the indoor cover and it fits like a glove. I have used their outdoor covers for other cars and although they are more bulky they provide protection from falling fruit from our overhanging palm trees.

I bought the best from California Car Cover. Not happy because it cannot be used with the convertible soft top as it leaves all kinds of lint on the car top from the inside cover material. A real bear to get this lint off. They have not responded to my requests for help. Too bad, I heard they were good... The original Z8 one that came with the car does not have this problem, but it is thin.
Anyone else have this problem? Solutions?

This is typical of those sexy lingerie covers, specially when they're new.

Get a couple of lint rollers from Walmart, Target, grocery store, etc. and just roll it over the Z8 top. Should be all gone in a couple of rollovers. I do it prior to Concours judging and the judges have never noticed any lint. Also works on the inside of the soft top and on the carpets/mats if you don't have time to vacuum.

You could try putting the original one on first

And the linty version on top - it'll give you more protection...

Originally Posted by Z8LVR

I bought the best from California Car Cover. Not happy because it cannot be used with the convertible soft top as it leaves all kinds of lint on the car top from the inside cover material. A real bear to get this lint off. They have not responded to my requests for help. Too bad, I heard they were good... The original Z8 one that came with the car does not have this problem, but it is thin.
Anyone else have this problem? Solutions?

Thanks! When I put the Z8 away for a long time, like three days or something, I do cover it with both tops; the silky type original then the heavier Cal. cover for protection as it is quite a bit thicker. Works.